The Black Dahlia (Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier)

Chapter V - We're All Monsters Here

Third Person's POV

That night had been the first time James had had a peaceful sleep in...he didn't even know how long. Instead of the nightmares he was used to having plaguing his dreams Lydia was somehow able to keep his mind clear so he could sleep without troubles. When she had told him that she could help him he thought she would have filled his head with serene images, but instead she managed to keep it completely blank, which meant that since he didn't have anything to focus on he was able to rest more.

The extra energy he felt had made it a pretty good day for him, having woken up in a surprisingly and uncharacteristically chipper mood – despite the events of the night before, which they were both actively ignoring. They began their day at around noon and after having lunch Lydia spent the rest of the day telling him about some things he had missed out on regarding the twentieth century and what had transpired of the twenty-first in matters ranging from politics to popular culture. She had also convinced him to let her search for his biography online so he could know as much about his past as possible, considering that the museum didn't provide much specific information. At first she felt slightly guilty that she was basically forcing him – in an extremely gentle way – to learn things he didn't want to know about himself, but she succeeded in suppressing the remorseful feelings because she knew it would be key in getting his memories back.

At around eleven they had both decided to call it a night so they could get up a tad earlier the following day – Lydia had casually mentioned sometime during dinner that she had a sort of make-shift gym in the basement that he could gladly use if he needed to let off some steam, and since he did need to, he sheepishly replied that he would be taking her up on the offer, so she asked if he wanted some company – which he silently agreed to – and that was it.

Even though Lydia had offered to stay with him again that night because she was quite sure he would need her help he stayed alone, but only after a very long discussion during which he managed to get her to agree; although Lydia knew that he was doing it because he didn't want to trouble her more than he already had she accepted and retreated into her room, getting ready for bed but not actually going to sleep, instead she stayed awake while reading a book and waited for the screaming she knew was coming, at which point she sped into his room to comfort him like the previous night.

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After about an hour of sparring with James – during which time he found out that she's a much better fighter than he imagined – she went upstairs to shower so he could have some time alone.

For a few minutes now she had been sitting in one of the sofas in the conservatory smoking and looking out at the back yard through the open window, absentmindedly watching as Meredith slept on the grass peacefully. As she tucked her legs underneath her, she began to really think about her time with James, because if she was being completely honest with herself she didn't have a plan as to how they were supposed to get his memories back, all she knew was that using magic or compulsion wasn't an option for two reasons: the first being that even if she found a spell that would restore all of his memories it would most likely fry his brain and the second one being that he's a super soldier, which means that he can't be compelled because of the serum. And since she was out of supernatural options they would just have to do it the human way, which implied a lot of waiting.

"I didn't know you smoked." James' voice interrupted her thought process. She turned her head to the doorway that connected the sitting room with the conservatory to find James leaning against its frame, staring at her.

"For a few centuries now." She casually answered while leaning forward towards the small coffee table in front of her, tapping the excess ash on her cigarette off on the ashtray and straightening up again. "Though technically, not in a while. I've been trying to quit. Again." She chuckled at the last word and the corners of James' lips quirked up slightly. "Does it bother you?"